Is Indian Education Sanctioning Rape Culture?

WRITTEN BY: ADITYA JAIN

EDITED BY: DARSHNA GUPTA

I was a part of a prominent college in South India for my graduation. We had some wonderful professors and some not-so-wonderful ones, as these things go. But there was an inherent underlying issue prevalent in the campus, an issue that continues to plague institutions across the country. The issue of gender inequality, blatant and rampant. From different entry/exit timings to clothing choices to interactive limitations, it was a quagmire of nonsensical  choices for the females on the campus. The whole situation  appeared to be hysterical, and  most students ended up cracking a joke about it.  

It is an issue, but more than that, it is also a projection of deeper toxic roots that have taken hold in our institutions.

Our education system directly contributes to crimes against all communities which do not adhere to patriarchal hegemony. There are three very broad mechanisms by which this happens: a) Our curriculum and materials reinforce traditional gender beliefs and attributes^[1], b) Victim blaming concerning these crimes^[2], c) Lack of holistic sex education in India^[3]. All of these avenues have been extensively studied and documented and an interested reader can look through various sources listed at the end to start their journey.

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I recall what sex education was like in our all-boys school. It was an all-boys school, which already made  the institution an unfit place for any kind of growth in terms of healthy interactions and values.  If my memory serves me correctly, we had a single session in 13 years, focussing on how one should not watch pornography and if anyone is offered a “blue film”, it should be reported to the school authorities.

There were no classes/sessions/conversation  about safe sex, reproduction, puberty, consent, boundaries and issues which a teenage mind and body goes through. Worst of all, any such conversations were actively discouraged. I In one incident, our male Biology teacher refused to teach the class,  this chapter on “Reproduction” because he found the constant giggling of the class to be a bit too much for his liking and declared that the class will be doing this particular chapter on our own.

A study published in 2012^[1], demonstrates  that male presence is intricately rooted in the Indian curriculum. The female representation, wherever seen, was also skewed towards patriarchal strongholds rather than diverse. Most of the females belonged to professions such as teachers, doctors, or nurses while males ranged from farmers to mountaineers to astronauts. Men seem to be shattering the ceilings, quite literally. A quick look at the ICSE short stories prescribed for 2021 exams^[4] shows that 90% of the prose has been written/spoken by male authors. Although some of these authors are considered literary stalwarts, we cannot shy away from the fact that crucial voices are missing. 

This is the situation in our schools and colleges, places we consider the cornerstone of learning and education. There’s another important piece to this puzzle though, and that is home. Basic education starts at home and there is no doubt that patriarchal reinforcements also begin there. Boys are allowed the freedom that other genders never get to experience. There are attributes assigned to children where boys play with toys such as guns and cars and females are automatically nudged towards kitchen sets and dolls^[3]. Topics such as menstruation are such taboos that they are attributed to the wraths of deities and connected to animal defilement. 

When we do not challenge and update gender roles in our environment, this often manifests as impressionable children and even adults seeking refuge in unhealthy and dangerous sources of information to make sense of the changes in their bodies and end up in situations that could have been avoided at the grassroots level. The power dynamics that have always given an advantage to the males in our society have also placed unrealistic expectations on them, where they are only seen as strong-willed breadwinners without any emotional challenges. When the mere concept of fluid gender roles eludes us, how do we even bring the LGBTQIA+ community into the conversation^[5]?

Ultimately, this has been the result of centuries of tolerance and unquestioning gazes. As multiple experts have suggested, rape is not about sex, it is about power and violence^[6]. Rape culture is the culmination of a world where sexual assault and modesty-infringement are the norms. Where victims are blamed rather than perpetrators. And sadly, that is the world we live in. Laws against criminals might be a step to deter some (although data does not conclusively suggest the death penalty is a deterrent^[7], but there are very basic problems that need to be addressed alongside these laws. It is time we re-think about our education model and start having conversations around inclusivity, gender roles, etc. Schools, need to rise up from plainly having just ethics/moral science courses and calling it a day.

Engage in conversations, challenge your notions, design your curriculum with a keen eye, and hopefully, drop by drop, an ocean will emerge.

Author

Sources:

References:

1. Mathew, P. (2021, May 27). After circular with regressive rules for girl-students goes viral, TN college denies issuing it. The News Minute. https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/after-circular-regressive-rules-girl-students-goes-viral-tn-college-denies-issuing-it-34510 
2. Tapp, F., & Tapp, F. (n.d.). Sex Education in Schools: Here’s What Your Kid Is (and Isn’t) Learning. Parents. https://www.parents.com/kids/education/sex-education-in-schools-heres-what-your-kid-is-learning/ 
3. Author, Guest. (2021, January 7). Education for Gender Equality. Kashmir Observer, https://kashmirobserver.net/2021/01/07/education-for-gender-equality/
4. Binoy, A. M. (2020, May 23). ‘BoisLockerRoom’ exposes that rape culture exists even within the educated section of society. The Bridge Chronicle. https://www.thebridgechronicle.com/opinion/%E2%80%98boislockerroom%E2%80%99-exposes-rape-culture-exists-even-within-educated-section-society-50499 
5. Pandey, M. (2019, May 16). India needs to start talking to its schoolboys about sex. Quartz, https://qz.com/india/1620684/sex-education-is-key-to-solving-indias-sexual-violence-problem/
6. Dasgupta, A. M. (2020, October 09). Sexism In Higher Educational Institutions In India. Outlook, https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-sexism-in-higher-educational-institutions-in-india/361818
7. Siddiqui, S. (2019, May 13). My Classroom Was Sexist and Undemocratic – And I’m a Product of It. Live Wire. https://livewire.thewire.in/personal/my-classroom-was-sexist-and-undemocratic-and-im-a-product-of-it/
8. Ram, U., Strohschein, L., & Gaur, K. (2014). Gender Socialization: Differences between Male and Female Youth in India and Associations with Mental Health. International Journal of Population Research, 2014, 1-11. doi:10.1155/2014/357145
9. Taub, A. (2014, December 15). Rape culture isn’t a myth. It’s real, and it’s dangerous. Vox. https://www.vox.com/2014/12/15/7371737/rape-culture-definition 
10. Filipovic, J. (2013, August 29). Rape is about power, not sex. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/29/rape-about-power-not-sex
11. Awasthi, G. (2020, July 09). How the Indian School System Reinforces Gender Norms. Live Wire. https://livewire.thewire.in/gender-and-sexuality/how-the-indian-school-system-reinforces-gender-norms/
12. David, S. (2020, September 15). Gender Insensitivity and Sexism are Ingrained in Indian Socialisation Practices, Can Education Change it? The New Leam. https://www.thenewleam.com/2020/09/gender-insensitivity-and-sexism-are-ingrained-in-indian-socialisation-practices-can-education-change-it/

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